College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Student Experience Initiatives

College of Arts and Sciences General

Each fall, Themester invites IU Bloomington undergraduates on a journey of intellectual exploration centered around one compelling theme. Your gift to Themester can help build strong connections across the College of Arts and Sciences, throughout the university, and within the broader community. Your gift can also help us carry this innovative program into the future.

Make a gift

College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Student Experience Initiatives

College of Arts and Sciences General

Each fall, Themester invites IU Bloomington undergraduates on a journey of intellectual exploration centered around one compelling theme. Your gift to Themester can help build strong connections across the College of Arts and Sciences, throughout the university, and within the broader community. Your gift can also help us carry this innovative program into the future.

Additional Info

Themester's primary mission is to engage undergraduates in important issues that they not only explore in the College classroom, but will also encounter throughout their lives. Courses are the heart of Themester. Thus, the College presents undergraduate courses that open the theme, engage with it, and promote cross-disciplinary inquiry. The connection to undergraduate education is paramount.

Themester also combines academic courses, public lectures and exhibits, film showings, and other events to engage students and the entire community in a collective learning experience about a timely—even urgent—issue. Programming of interest to students and the public is chosen to complement these courses. Most Themester events are open and free to the public.

How your support can make a difference:

  • A gift of $10 could support one student ticket to a Themester-affiliated production at IU Theatre.
  • A gift of $50 could support printing about 100 student-designed posters.
  • A gift of $100 could support one lunch discussion between six undergraduates and a faculty member at the Tudor Room.
  • A gift of $250 could support the award given to individual B.F.A. design students for their winning Themester posters.
  • A gift of $400 could support Themester’s costs for a film showing at IU Cinema.
  • A gift of $800 could support a summer podcast internship.
  • A gift of $1,000 could support the cost of a fall-semester internship.
  • A gift of $1,500 could support bringing a visiting scholar to campus for a public talk and class visit.
  • A gift of $7,000 could pay for the rental and production costs at a large venue such as IU Auditorium.

Larger gifts help the College and its partners bring in marquee speakers such as Thomas Friedman, Garry Trudeau, Mark Bittman, Madeleine Albright, Valerie Plame-Wilson, and George Takei. Thank you for helping us facilitate discovery, growth, and engagement among undergraduate students and beyond!

Your giving matters

Vivian Halloran, Associate Professor, Departments of English and American Studies

Themester breathes a lot of energy into the campus. The range and variety of courses, talks, performances, and fora that explore different aspects of the given theme enact a real interdisciplinary exploration that enriches the life of the campus.

Vivian Halloran Associate professor, Departments of English and American Studies

Important Disclosures

Please note, the name and purpose of the fund displayed on this page constitute the authorized description of the fund by the Indiana University Foundation, Inc. Your gift supports the fund as described herein.